MOSQUITO CONTROL

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Mosquito-borne illnesses are spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Examples include West Nile virus (WNV) or Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. Typically, the season for West Nile virus or other mosquito-borne illnesses in Boston is summer through early fall.

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) partners with the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Project (SCMCP) to protect Boston residents from mosquito-borne disease transmission. The SCMCP collects mosquito samples (known as mosquito "pools") in traps every week during the summer and early fall. These traps are located throughout the city. The samples are tested at the Hinton State Laboratory to determine if WNV or EEE virus is present.

Information from mosquito pools, including the number of mosquitoes present, helps to determine where extra precautions are needed to keep Boston residents safe. This may include truck mounted aerosol spraying to control adult mosquito populations. If mosquito spraying is required, it will be completed between dusk and 11:30 PM on scheduled days in targeted areas of the City (see below). Mosquito spraying is subject to weather and may need to be rescheduled. SCMCP advises that if people see a spray truck approaching, they should go indoors for a few minutes. Residents are also advised to close any windows that face the street during scheduled spraying. Information on the larvicide is available at https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/bti-mosquito-control##1.

Process to Exclude Property from Mosquito Control and other Public Area Wide Pesticide ApplicationResidents can file to have their property excluded from spraying at any time of the year. Filing to exclude a person's property can be done electronically through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR- http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/agr/pesticides/mosquito/pesticide-application-exclusions.html) or by sending an exclusion form through the mail to MDAR. Questions regarding the exclusion process can be answered by calling Juan Carlos Gutierrez at the MDAR at 617-626-1723 or by emailing Juan.Gutierrez@state.ma.us. For more information about spraying and other mosquito control activities, contact the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Project at (781) 899-5730.

Scheduled Mosquito Spraying in Boston

(Updated: April 14, 2020)

Mosquito spraying is scheduled as needed during the summer and early fall. Mosquito spraying is subject to weather and may need to be rescheduled. Changes to scheduled spraying will be posted here.

Scheduled ​Date

​Neighborhood

​Location

​BetweenApril 20, 2020- April 24, 2020

​Hyde Park

​Wetlands areas in the Fowl Meadow.The Bti will be applied in a granular formulation by a helicopter flying low directly over the wetlands. Residents do not need to take any special precautions for this application.

​BetweenApril 20, 2020- April 24, 2020

​West Roxbury

​Hancock Woods area near VFW Parkway and Corey Street and wetlands near Millennium.The Bti will be applied in a granular formulation by a helicopter flying low directly over the wetlands. Residents do not need to take any special precautions for this application.

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​2020 Positive Mosquito Pool Results in Boston*

(Updated: April 14, 2020)

​Collection Date

​Neighborhood

​Mosquito Species

​Disease

*A mosquito pool is a sample of many mosquitoes removed from a mosquito trap. Traps are located throughout the City of Boston. Pools are tested during the summer and early fall for West Nile virus (WNV) and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).

​2020 Mosquito-borne Illnesses Reported in Boston

(Updated: April 14, 2020)

No human cases of WNV or EEE has been reported to date in Boston in 2020.